FANTASY NASCAR Racin

Before there was the dominance of Frank Kimmel on the dirt, there was Fair Grove, Missouri’s Dean Roper, affectionately known to many as ARCA’s “Dean" of the dirt. Roper began his racing career in go-karts in 1958 before he moved into the supermodified, and midget ranks in the early 60s, where he first established himself as a contender. “We won our first track championship in the old supermodified division in Joplin, Missouri in ’68,” Roper continued. “Then we moved up into the late model class and began winning there, and won a track championship at Lake Hill Speedway in ’71. That was on the pavement. I remember the year because it was the same year that this skinny 16 year-old kid by the name of Kenny Schrader, started racing in our area. Then I was lucky enough to get hooked up with the Mueller brothers in ’76 or ’77, and we’ve

been racing together and winning together ever since.” Roper was an accomplished dirt late model racer in the Midwest. Roper's racing career began in 1960. He won five St. Louis area track titles from 1967 to 1973. Most of Roper’s stock car success came at the hands of the Mueller Brothers, Tom and Jerry, who fielded Roper’s stock cars since the late 70s. And it was, right from the start, a potent combination that produced three consecutive USAC Stock Car national championships in ’81, ’82 and ’83. It was also in ’82 when Roper first steered a Mueller Brothers Pontiac to victory lane in ARCA competition at Terre Haute. Roper also won on the Milwaukee mile in a co-sanctioned ARCA-USAC event that same year. Roper won 10 races in USAC, including four on the Springfield Mile. Most of Roper's major success came in ARCA racing, where he

would score 10 wins, eight of which came on dirt tracks. Roper made 37 starts in the series, most of which came at two tracks, Springfield and DuQuoin. Roper won in his series debut at the Terre Haute Action Track, the only time ARCA raced at the track. Roper ran two more races that season, finishing Seventh at Talladega and winning at the Milwaukee Mile. Roper would make five starts in 1983, four for the Mueller Brother's and one for Bob Brevak. Roper would win at the Springfield Mile and DuQuoin for the Mueller's. Roper would only run two races in 1984, Springfield and DuQuoin, losing the engine at Springfield and finishing 25th, and finishing second at DuQuoin. 1985 again saw Roper only run at Springfield and DuQuoin, finishing first and second. Roper made his final start at

Daytona in 1986, finishing last in the field of 40 cars after a lap four crash. Roper would win once again at Springfield and DuQuoin, and would come in seventh at Owosso Speedway. Roper would finish third at Springfield, while winning races at Indianapolis and DuQuoin. Dean would remain winless in ARCA until 1994, collecting what would be his final victory. By 2000, Roper was beginning to consider retirement, as ARCA was becoming more competitive, and small teams like the Mueller Brothers were

having trouble keeping up. During an interview before the 2001 Par-A-Dice 100, Roper hinted that it could be his final start. Because of his success on dirt, Roper acquired the nickname "ARCA's Dean of Dirt". While competing at the 2001 Par-A-Dice 100 at the Springfield Mile, Roper's #89 Mueller Brother's Racing Ford slowed on lap 17, and began to bounce off the inside wall. The car was clearly not in control, it was later determined that Roper had suffered a fatal heart attack before crashing. The car then found the pit entry and crashed into some pit equipment, sending

spectators running. Roper was pulled from the car and rushed to the hospital. It was announced at the conclusion of the race that Roper had suffered a heart attack, resulting in the odd crash. He was pronounced dead at the hospital. Roper died less than one year after his son Tony was killed in a Truck Series Race at Texas Motor Speedway. Roper also made five starts in the NASCAR Cup series. They came in 1983, and 1984. Roper made his NASCAR debut at the 1983 Daytona 500, driving for Mueller Brother's Racing. Roper started 27th in the Evinrude

Outboard Motors Pontiac, and was able to avoid problems to come home 15th, six laps down to eventual winner Cale Yarborough. Roper would run one other race that season at Talladega, starting 30th and finishing 18th at the Winston 500. Roper would run three races in 1984, once again running for the Mueller Brother's Racing team. Roper would finish 16th at the 1984 Daytona 500, a race once again won by Cale Yarborough. Roper would also run the first Talladega race, where oil pump problems left him 28th, completing 149 laps in a race again won by Cale Yarborough. His final Cup start would come in the Firecracker 400, where he started 32nd and finished 21st in his Tiki Tan Dodge. According the Tom Mueller, it was the Mueller Brothers that first introduced the idea of renting a ride in NASCAR Sprint Cup competition. “Jim Sauter

qualified our car into the ’88 Daytona 500 through one of the 125-milers," said Tom Mueller. "Michael Waltrip, who was sponsored by Country Time Lemonade, didn’t make the race. And all the while, there was a bunch of Country Time corporate executives at a dinner party down in Orlando, waiting to see where the Country Time car was going to start in the race. Well, Michael didn’t make it so we went to them, told them we’d paint Country Time on the car, and for X amount of dollars, Sauter would sit out and Waltrip could race the car. We cut a deal on a handshake, and had to go find Michael, who was already packing up to go home. Anyway, I’d have to check the record, but I think Michael finished in the top-20 or thereabouts. But we gave Michael his initial start, and we were the first to introduce that concept of renting a ride in Cup.” Buddy Baker, Joe Ruttman, Rodney Combs and the late Alan Kulwicki are some of the other drivers who have driven Mueller Brothers equipment. Roper's final NASCAR attempt came in 1985, missing the Daytona 500 driving for Ron Spohn. He is buried in Mount Comfort Cemetery, Springfield, MO. next to his son Tony.

Fantasy NASCAR Racing

CAROL DEAN "PUDDIN" ROPER - 12/26/1938 - 8/19/2001